The "Coppa Inter-Europa" was first held in 1949, on the 6.3-kilometre (3.9 mi) circuit. The race expanded to 1000 kilometres in 1954, and moved to the 10-kilometre circuit in 1956. The event was shortened and returned to the 6.3-km track the next year. In 1960 and 1961, the race was a part of the FIA GT Cup.

In 1963, the race was held as a three-hour event for production-based cars in the World Sportscar Championship before being expanded to a 1000-kilometer distance in 1965. Until 1969, the full Monza circuit which included the banked oval was used, although chicanes were installed in 1965 at the beginning of the second banking (south curve) and in 1966 at the beginning of the other to slow cars down. A lap was 10.1 kilometers long, yielding a total distance of 1010 km after 100 laps. From 1970 to 2008, the shorter Grand Prix circuit (approximately 5.8 kilometers) has been used for 173 laps.

Although named the 1000 km of Monza, the race has at times been run at shorter lengths, most notably in the late 1970s and early 1990s before the demise of the World Sportscar Championship in 1992.

In 1989 the race was cancelled due financial problem of Automobil Club of Milan and for the rebuilding of boxes and paddock facilities.

Since 1992, the race has been used on and off by various series, most notably, the BPR Global GT Series, the Italian GT Championship and Challenge Endurance Italia series in 1997 and 1998. The FIA Sportscar Championship also held a single running of the 1000 km in 2001.

In 1995 and 1996 the race was valid for the BPR Global GT Series, reserved to GT cars, with the "4 hours" format.

After a 1997 without the race, the 1998 edition was not valid for any international championship, returning to the 1000 km format and open also to sportscars.

In 1999 the race return to be valid for an international championship, the SportsRacing World Cup. with distance reduced to 500 km.

In 2000 the race was held on the 500 km distance but was called "1000km" due the fact in the same day on the morning, a race of 500 km valid for FIA GT Championship was hald held.

In 2001 the race valid for the FIA Sportscar Championship return to a reral 1000 km format. After a year without race, in 2003 the race return to the 500 km format.

In 2004, the race, again on 1000 km, were resumed as a part of the Le Mans Series, which has held the event since then. A race for 2006 was planned by the Le Mans Series, but had to be cancelled due to protests over the noise pollution caused by the event. Agreements were later reached to allow the event to return in 2007.

1.
Le Mans Series
–
The European Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de lOuest. The European Le Mans Series is similar to the American Le Mans Series based in the United States and Canada that was running with ACO, ELMS team champions and runners-up receive an automatic entry to the following years 24 Hours of Le Mans. Originally titled the Le Mans Endurance Series before becoming simply the Le Mans Series in 2006, the aged IMSA GT Championship was taken over and became the new American Le Mans Series, and met with much success in 1999. Europe had lacked a major sports prototype series since the demise of the World Sportscar Championship in 1992, following the success of the ALMS, Panoz attempting to bring sports prototype racing back to Europe. This led to the 2000 American Le Mans Series season, which included two races in Europe as the Nürburgring and Silverstone Circuit, as well as a round in Australia and these races would serve as a precursor to what would become the separate European Le Mans Series in 2001. To aid in the development of the ELMS, the 2001 season shared some races between both ALMS and ELMS, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans, normally ALMS races, were considered optional races for ELMS teams. At the same time, the ELMS races at Donington Park and this allowed for the possibility of boosting the draw from international teams to either series. For the ELMS events that included ALMS teams, very few teams actually bothered to make the trip across the Atlantic to participate in races that appeared to have very few serious competitors. Thus the entry lists for each race fell from 25 at the beginning of the season to a mere 14 at seasons end, with some classes only having one or two competitors. With a lack of involvement from teams, and less interest from the due to the lack of teams. Seeing the success of the American Le Mans Series, the ACO decided that a run by themselves would be a better alternative for Europe. The ACO would instead attempt to attract factory backed teams with longer endurance races than ALMS, the series would also be European based instead of international, thus it could be closer to the factories of a large number of sportscar teams to help attract them to the series. Winners of the LMES championship would go on to earn automatic entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, similar to the American Le Mans Series. The series was previewed in an open race run under the LMES banner in 2003 at the 1000km of Le Mans. For the 2004 Le Mans Series, the participated in four events, including resurrecting classic races like the 1000km Monza, 1000km Nürburgring,1000 km Silverstone. A large number of turned out, making the racing very exciting. 2005 saw the series expand to a five race format with the addition of the Istanbul Racing Circuit, in 2007, the LMS held its first and single overseas race with Mil Milhas Brasil as the sixth round. For 2013 a twenty-nine car field has been announced including eleven LMP2 cars, in 2016 the GTC class featuring GT3-spec cars was dropped from the series

2.
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
–
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the city of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. Built in 1922, it is the worlds third purpose-built motor racing circuit after those of Brooklands, the circuits biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix. With the exception of 1980, the race has been hosted there since the seriess inception, the circuit is generally flat, but has a gradual gradient from the second Lesmos to the Variante Ascari. Since both maximum power and minimal drag are keys for speed on the straights, only competitors with enough power or aerodynamic efficiency at their disposal are able to challenge for the top places. In addition to Formula One, the hosts a endurance event, the 1000 km Monza, which has been run as part of the World Sportscar Championship. Current major events are races of the World Touring Car Championship, the Monza circuit has been the site of many fatal accidents, especially in the early years of the Formula One world championship, and has claimed the lives of 52 drivers and 35 spectators. The first track was built from May to July 1922 by 3,500 workers, the initial form was a 3.4 square kilometres site with 10 kilometres of macadamised road – comprising a 4.5 kilometres loop track, and a 5.5 kilometres road track. The track was opened on 3 September 1922, with the maiden race the second Italian Grand Prix held on 10 September 1922. In 1928, the most serious Italian racing accident to date ended in the death of driver Emilio Materassi and 27 spectators at that years Grand Prix, the accident led to further Grand Prix races confinement to the high-speed loop until 1932. The 1933 race was marked by the deaths of three drivers and the Grand Prix layout was changed, with two chicanes added and the longer straights removed. There was major rebuilding in 1938–39, constructing new stands and entrances, resurfacing the track, moving portions of the track, the resulting layout gave a Grand Prix lap of 6.300 kilometres, in use until 1954. The outbreak of World War II meant racing at the track was suspended until 1948, Monza was renovated over a period of two months at the beginning of 1948 and a Grand Prix was held on 17 October 1948. In 1954, work began to revamp the circuit, resulting in a 5.750 kilometres course. The two circuits could be combined to re-create the former 10 kilometres long circuit, with cars running parallel on the main straight, the track infrastructure was also updated and improved to better accommodate the teams and spectators. The Automobile Club of Italy held 500-mile Race of Two Worlds exhibition competitions, intended to pit United States Auto Club IndyCars against European Formula One and sports cars. The races were held on the oval at the end of June in 1957 and 1958, ecurie Ecosses three Jaguar D-type sports cars used their Le Mans-specification tyres with no ill-effects, but were completely out paced. Two heats in 1957 were won by Jimmy Bryan in his Kuzma-Offenhauser Dean Van Lines Special, Formula One used the 10 kilometres high speed track in the 1955,1956,1960 and 1961 Grands Prix. Stirling Moss and Phil Hill both won twice in this period, with Hills win at Monza making him the first American to win a Formula One race

3.
Jacky Ickx
–
Jacky Ickx was introduced to the sport when he was taken by his father, motoring journalist Jacques Ickx, to races which he covered. Despite this family background, Jacky had limited interest in the sport until his father bought him a 50 cc Zündapp motorcycle, soon afterwards, Ickx won 8 of 13 races at the first season and the European 50 cc trials title. He also competed in car races where he had already significant experience from taking part in the 1000 km races at the Nürburgring. Ickx entered his first Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in 1966, driving a Matra MS5-Cosworth one-litre Formula Two car, however, a first lap collision with John Taylor caused both cars to retire and Taylor later died as a result of burns received in the accident. In 1967, Ickx again drove at the Nurburgring, with an F2 Matra MS7-Cosworth 1. 6-litre, despite the greater power of the Formula One cars, only two F1 drivers qualified with a faster time than Ickx, Denny Hulme and Jim Clark. As Ickx was racing in the separate F2 class, he started the race all of the F1 cars. He was forced to retire after 12 laps with broken front suspension, at Monza in 1967, he made his F1 debut in a Cooper T81B-Maserati, finishing sixth, despite suffering a puncture on the last lap. He also drove for Cooper in the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, in 1968 Ickx drove in Formula 1 for Ferrari. He retired from his first two races, but at his race at Spa-Francorchamps he started from the front row. At the French Grand Prix at Rouen he took his first win, in heavy rain, Ickx also finished third at Brands Hatch and fourth at the Nürburgring after driving almost the entire race in heavy rain without his helmet visor. At Monza he finished the race in third position, in Canada he crashed and broke his left leg during practice, thus did not start and also missed the subsequent United States Grand Prix. He returned in time for the race of the season in Mexico. Ickx scored 27 points in the 1968 Formula One season finishing in place behind Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart. In 1969, Ickx moved to Brabham, partly at the instigation of the John Wyer team for whom hed had considerable success in sports cars. Wyers main sponsor, Gulf Oil were keen to ensure that they retained his services rather than lose him to Ferraris sports car team. In the 1969 Mexican Grand Prix Ickx finished second and ended the year as runner-up in the world championship. He returned to the Ferrari team for the 1970 season, a move he had been considering since the Italian Grand Prix, as in 1969, Ickx had a disappointing start to the 1970 season. On the first lap of the Spanish Grand Prix he collided with the BRM of Jackie Oliver and it took at least 20 seconds for him to leave the burning car and he was hospitalized with severe burns

4.
Scuderia Ferrari
–
Scuderia Ferrari S. p. A. competing as Scuderia Ferrari is the official name of the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer, Ferrari, and competes in Formula One racing. It is the oldest surviving and most successful Formula One team, the team was founded by Enzo Ferrari, initially to race cars produced by Alfa Romeo, though by 1947 Ferrari had begun building its own cars. As a constructor, Ferrari has a record 16 Constructors Championships, Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen have won a record 15 Drivers Championships for the team. Since Räikkönens title in 2007 the team narrowly lost out on the 2008 drivers title with Felipe Massa, Schumacher is the teams most successful driver. Joining the team in 1996 and departing in 2006 he won five titles and 72 Grands Prix for the team. His titles came consecutively between 2000 and 2004, including the constructors title of 1999 consecutively being won until the end of 2004, this was the teams most successful period. Currently, World Champions Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel are the two race drivers. The team is known for its passionate support base known as the tifosi. The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is regarded as the home race. The Scuderia Ferrari team was founded by Enzo Ferrari on 16 November 1929 and became the team of Alfa Romeo. In 1938, Alfa Romeo management made the decision to enter racing under its own name, establishing the Alfa Corse organisation, Enzo Ferrari disagreed with this change in policy and was finally dismissed by Alfa in 1939. The terms of his leaving forbade him from motorsport under his own name, in 1939 Ferrari started work on a racecar of his own, the Tipo 815. The 815s, designed by Alberto Massimino, were thus the first Ferrari cars, World War II put a temporary end to racing, and Ferrari concentrated on an alternative use for his factory during the war years, doing machine tool work. After the war, Ferrari recruited several of his former Alfa colleagues and established a new Scuderia Ferrari, the team owns and operates a test track on the same site, the Fiorano Circuit built in 1972, which is used for testing road and race cars. The team is named after its founder, Enzo Ferrari, Scuderia is Italian for a stable reserved for racing horses and is also commonly applied to Italian motor racing teams. In 1947 Ferrari constructed the 12-cylinder,1.5 L Tipo 125, a Formula One version of the Tipo 125, the Ferrari 125 F1 was developed in 1948 and entered in several Grand Prix, at the time a World Championship had not yet been established. In 1950, the Formula One World Championship was established, and it is the only team to have competed in every season of the World Championship, from its inception to the current day. The company later switched to the large-displacement naturally aspirated formula for the 275,340, after the 1951 Formula One season the Alfa team withdrew from F1, causing the authorities to adopt the Formula Two regulations due to the lack of suitable F1 cars

5.
Ferrari
–
Ferrari N. V. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1939 as Auto Avio Costruzioni, the company built its first car in 1940, however the companys inception as an auto manufacturer is usually recognized in 1947, when the first Ferrari-badged car was completed. Ferrari is the worlds most powerful according to Brand Finance. In May 2012 the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO became the most expensive car in history, Fiat S. p. A. acquired 50 percent of Ferrari in 1969 and expanded its stake to 90 percent in 1988. In October 2014 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced its intentions to separate Ferrari S. p. A. from FCA, through the remaining steps of the separation, FCAs interest in Ferraris business was distributed to shareholders of FCA, with 10 percent continuing to be owned by Piero Ferrari. The spin-off was completed on 3 January 2016, Ferrari road cars are generally seen as a symbol of speed, luxury and wealth. Enzo Ferrari was not initially interested in the idea of producing road cars when he formed Scuderia Ferrari in 1929, Scuderia Ferrari literally means Ferrari Stable and is usually used to mean Team Ferrari. Ferrari bought, prepared and fielded Alfa Romeo racing cars for gentlemen drivers, in September 1939 Enzo Ferrari left Alfa Romeo under the provision that he would not use the Ferrari name in association with races or racing cars for at least four years. A few days later he founded Auto Avio Costruzioni, headquartered in the facilities of the old Scuderia Ferrari, the new company ostensibly produced machine tools and aircraft accessories. In 1940 Ferrari did in fact produce a race car – the Tipo 815 and it was the first Ferrari car and debuted at the 1940 Mille Miglia, but due to World War II it saw little competition. In 1943 the Ferrari factory moved to Maranello, where it has remained ever since, the factory was bombed by the Allies and subsequently rebuilt including a works for road car production. The first Ferrari-badged car was the 1947125 S, powered by a 1.5 L V12 engine, Enzo Ferrari reluctantly built, the Scuderia Ferrari name was resurrected to denote the factory racing cars and distinguish them from those fielded by customer teams. In 1960 the company was restructured as a corporation under the name SEFAC S. p. A. Early in 1969, Fiat took a 50 percent stake in Ferrari, new model investment further up in the Ferrari range also received a boost. In 1988, Enzo Ferrari oversaw the launch of the Ferrari F40, the last new Ferrari to be launched before his death later that year, in 1989 the company was renamed as Ferrari S. p. A. From 2002 to 2004, Ferrari produced the Enzo, their fastest model at the time and it was to be called the F60, continuing on from the F40 and F50, but Ferrari was so pleased with it, they called it the Enzo instead. It was initially offered to loyal and reoccurring customers, each of the 399 made had a tag of $650,000 apiece. On 15 September 2012,964 Ferrari cars (worth over $162 million attended the Ferrari Driving Days event at Silverstone Circuit, on 29 October 2014, the FCA group, resulting from the merger between manufacturers Fiat and Chrysler, announced the split of its luxury brand, Ferrari

6.
Endurance racing (motorsport)
–
Endurance racing is a form of motorsport racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a distance in a single event. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, one of the more common lengths of endurance races has been running for 1,000 kilometres, or roughly six hours. Longer races can run for 1,000 miles,12 hours, teams can consist of anywhere from two to four drivers per event, which is dependent on the drivers endurance abilities, length of the race, or even the rules for each event. Coppa Florio was an Italian car race started in 1900, and renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio offered the initial 50000 Lira, the Brescia race visited the route Brescia-Cremona-Mantova-Brescia. In 1908, the race used the Circuito di Bologna, Bologna-Castelfranco Emilia-SantAgata Bolognese-San Giovanni in Persiceto-Bologna, since 1914 most of the Coppa Florio was co-organized with the Targa Florio near Palermo, Sicilia, running four or five laps,108 km each. The Mille Miglia was an endurance race which took place in Italy 24 times from 1927 to 1957. The worlds first organized 24-hour automobile race event was held on a 1-mile oval track at Driving Park, Columbus, beginning on the afternoon of July 3, four cars from Frayer-Miller, Pope-Toledo, Peerless and White Steamer raced for a $500 silver trophy. The winning Pope-Toledo car covered 828.5 miles, a protest was filed by the Frayer-Miller and Peerless teams, alleging the Pope-Toledo was not owned by the driver, instead sent from the factory with an engine built for racing. The first 24-hour race to place at a dedicated motorsport venue was at Brooklands. This incurred the wrath of local residents and would lead to the Double Twelve race and this format meant the race took place for 12 hours each between 8am to 8pm and between it, the cars were locked up overnight to prevent maintenance work from being performed on them. The 2001 Dakar Rally saw competitors cover a distance of 10,739 kilometres with a time of 70 hours over 20 days with three classes of cars, motorbikes, and trucks. The 1992 Paris–Cape Town Rally covered a distance of 12,427 km, the 1994 edition saw competitors return to Paris, for a distance of 13,379 km. The Expedition Trophy, first held in 2005, runs from Murmansk to Vladivostok, the 1908 New York to Paris Race covered a distance of over 16,000 km, taking 169 days from February 12 to July 30. The various endurance formats were appealing to manufacturers, not only as alternatives to the expense of Grand Prix racing, in automobile endurance racing, three events have come to form a Triple Crown. They are considered three of the most challenging endurance races over the decades, the Rolex 24 at Daytona,12 Hours of Sebring, hans Herrmann was the first in 1970 to win the three races, and Timo Bernhard the most recent. No driver has won the three events in the year, Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert have won the three races at least twice each. Bold on year indicate at which race the driver achieved his Triple Crown, the FIA World Endurance Championship is an international sports car racing series organized by both the Automobile Club de lOuest and the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile

7.
Sports car racing
–
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going models, a type of hybrid between the purism of open-wheelers and the familiarity of touring car racing, this style is often associated with the annual Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. First run in 1923, Le Mans is one of the oldest motor races still in existence, other classic but now defunct sports car races include the Italian classics, the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia, and the Mexican Carrera Panamericana. Most top class sports car races emphasize endurance, reliability, and strategy, longer races usually involve complex pit strategy and regular driver changes. These makers top road cars have often very similar both in engineering and styling to those raced. This close association with the nature of the cars serves as a useful distinction between sports car racing and touring cars. The 12 Hours of Sebring,24 Hours of Daytona, and 24 Hours of Le Mans were once considered the trifecta of sports car racing. In the 1920s, the used in endurance racing and Grand Prix were still basically identical, with fenders. Cars such as the Bugatti Type 35 were almost equally at home in Grands Prix and endurance events, but specialisation gradually started to differentiate the sports-racer from the Grand Prix car. As mainly Italian cars and races defined the genre, the category was called Gran Turismo, as long distances had to be travelled, reliability and some basic comfort were necessary in order to endure the task. After the Second World War, sports car racing emerged as a form of racing with its own classic races. Top Grand Prix drivers also competed regularly in sports car racing, from 1962 sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars with the FIA replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. The US scene tended to feature small MG and Porsche cars in the smaller classes, the combination of mostly British chassis and American V8 engines gave rise to the popular and spectacular Can-Am series in the 1960s and 1970s. Clubmans provided much entertainment at club-racing level from the 1960s into the 1990s, after a relative period of decline in the 1980s a British GT Championship emerged in the mid-90s. Road races such as the Mille Miglia included everything from stock touring cars to World Championship contenders, the Mille Miglia was the largest sporting event in Italy until a fatal accident caused its demise in 1957. The Targa Florio, another road race, remained part of the world championship until the 1970s. Between the late 1960s and late 1970s, Matra and Renault made significant, the competition at Le Mans even made it to the movie screens, with Steve McQueens film Le Mans. This era was seen by many as the highpoint of sports car racing, with the technology, a peculiarly American form of sports car racing was the Can-Am series, in which virtually unlimited sports prototypes competed in relatively short races

8.
World Sportscar Championship
–
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992. The official name of the series changed throughout the years, however it has generally been known as the World Sportscar Championship from its inception in 1953. The World Sportscar Championship was, with the Formula One World Championship, in 2012 the World Sportscar Championship was revived and renamed as the World Endurance Championship. Cars were split into Sports Car and GT categories and were divided into engine displacement classes. The Ferrari and Maserati works teams were fierce competitors throughout much of the decade, notably absent from the overall results were the Jaguar works team, who did not enter any events other than Le Mans, despite the potential of the C- and D-Types. In 1962, the calendar was expanded to include smaller races, the World Sportscar Championship title was discontinued, being replaced by the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. They group cars into three categories with specific sizes, less than one litre, less than two litres, and over two litres. Hillclimbs, sprint races and smaller races expanded the championship, which now had about 15 races per season, for 1963 the three engine capacity classes remained but a prototype category was added. For 1965 the engine classes became for cars under 1300 cc, under 2000 cc, in 1972 the Group 6 Prototype and Group 5 Sports Car classes were both replaced by a new Group 5 Sports Car class. These cars were limited to 3.0 L engines by the FIA, the new Group 5 Sports Cars, together with Group 4 Grand Touring Cars, would contest the FIAs newly renamed World Championship for Makes from 1972 to 1975. Prototypes returned in 1976 as Group 6 cars with their own series, the World Championship for Sports Cars, in 1981, the FIA instituted a drivers championship. While this change was unwelcome amongst some of the private teams, several of the old guard manufacturers returned to the WSC within the next two years, with each marque adding to the diversity of the series. Under the new rules, it was possible for normally aspirated engines to compete with the forced induction engines that had dominated the series in the 70s. In addition, most races ran for either 500 or 1000 km, Group B cars, which was a GT class, were also allowed to race, but entries in this class were sparse, and Group B cars disappeared from the series, with sports-prototypes dominating the championship. Porsche was the first constructor to join the series, with the 956, as costs increased, a C2 class was created for privateer teams and small manufacturers, with greater limits to fuel consumption. In this lower class, most cars used either the BMW M1 engine or the new Cosworth DFL, but, like in the main class, alba, Tiga, Spice and Ecurie Ecosse were among the most competitive in this class. While the Group C formula had brought back to the sport. For 1986, the World Endurance Championship became the World Sports-Prototype Championship, the new classification, known as Group C Category 1, was designed to mandate Formula One engines

9.
FIA GT Championship
–
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile. The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia, at the end of 2009, the championship was replaced by the FIA GT1 World Championship, which morphed into the FIA GT Series for 2013. FIA currently defines several categories of GT cars with the top two specifications being GT1, or Grand Touring Cars, and GT2, or Series Grand Touring Cars, each category has an annual driver champion, team champion, and manufacturer champion. Both categories are based on road car designs, which must be produced in a minimum quantity of 25 examples to qualify. For the 2006 season, the FIA created a new class called GT3, GT3 cars are even closer to their production counterparts and are very simply racetrack prepared with the essentials. All cars are performance balanced together via different weights, restrictors and this car must be able to be used perfectly legally on the open road, and adapted for racing on circuits or closed courses. The new manufacturers built homologation specials, racing-bred cars that took advantage of the new rules. Chrysler, Lister and Marcos, not wanting to accompany the cost escalation and this proved to be the wisest move, as Mercedes completely dominated the new category and the other manufacturers pulled out after the end of the 1998 season. This left Chryslers Viper to become the car in the series, with the aging Porsche 993 GT2. However, there was no lower inexpensive category for drivers. While the manufacturer field in the main class blossomed, the new category became swamped with Porsches and Ferraris, but lower running costs meant both classes enjoyed a balanced number of entries. In order to boost the status, the SRO added the 24 Hours of Spa, previously a touring car race, to the calendar. The FIA also banned official manufacturer involvement, although certain teams had preferential treatment, after the end of the 2004 season, the FIA renamed the classes GT1 and GT2, and somewhat liberalized the GT1 regulations, allowing supercars. While this was made to accommodate the Saleen S7, the biggest beneficiary was the purpose-built Maserati MC12, however, thanks to a weight penalty system, the fight for the championship is protected from more domineering cars. The level of competition remains tight, with drivers managing to fight for the wins with professional drivers. Following the 2009 season, the SRO announced that the FIA GT Championships two categories, GT1 and GT2, would break off into separate series, the GT1 category became a world championship with rounds across the world. Cars which fit the GT1 class were eligible to only in the FIA GT1 World Championship, as the ACO banned the cars from the event. This meant that the category that once was eligible to race not only in the FIA GT, Le Mans Series and this meant that the San Luis round of the 2011 season was the last ever time GT1 cars contested in international motorsport

10.
Italy
–
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world

11.
Ferrari 166 S
–
See also the 166 Inter GT car The Ferrari 166 S was an evolution of Ferraris 125 S sports race car that became a sports car for the street in the form of the 166 Inter. Only 39 Ferrari 166 S were produced, soon followed by the production of the 166 Mille Miglia which was made in larger numbers from 1949 to 1952. The 166 MM were in fact updated 166 S and were the cars to many of Ferrari’s early international victories. It shared its Aurelio Lampredi-designed tube frame and double wishbone/live axle suspension with the 125, like the 125, the wheelbase was 2420 mm long. 39 examples were produced from its introduction at the Turin Motor Show in 1948 to its retirement in 1950 and it was replaced by the 2.3 L195 S in 1950. The first 166 Inter was designed by Tourings chief stylist, Carlo Anderloni,166 S competition models were generally coachbuilt by Carrozzeria Allemano. The 1.5 L Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine of the 125 was changed, however, with overhead camshafts specified. This was achieved both a bore and stroke increase, to 60 by 58.8 mm respectively. Output was 110 to 140 hp at 6,000 rpm with one to three carburettors, Motor Trend Classic named the 166 MM Barchetta as number six in their list of the ten Greatest Ferraris of all time. Nine 166 Spider Corsas and three 166 Sports were built, the oldest Ferrari car with an undisputed pedigree still in existence is VIN#002C, a Model 166 Spider Corsa which was originally a 159 and is currently owned and driven by James Glickenhaus. #0052M, a 1950166 MM Touring Barchetta was uncovered in a barn and was shown in public for the first time since 1959 in the August 2006 issue of Cavallino magazine. Ferrari 166 racing cars won Mille Miglia in both 1948 and 1949, driven by Clemente Biondetti and Giuseppe Navone the first year and Biondetti, the same year, another 166 won the 1949 Spa 24 Hours. A166 chassis, this time with the bigger 195 engine, won the Mille Miglia again in 1950 with drivers Giannino Marzotto, Ferrari, A Complete Guide to All Models

12.
Consalvo Sanesi
–
He competed in five Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 3 September 1950. Although, on his day, his experience with the cars meant that he was one of the fastest men on the racetrack. He scored only 3 championship points and he found some success driving in sports car racing, continuing into the mid-1960s. A year later he won his class in the Carrera Panamericana, Sanesi entered an Alfa Romeo in the November 1954 Pan American race in Mexico. In the European touring car class of the event he led at one juncture with a time of 8 hours,29 minutes. He was overtaken by fellow Italian and Alfa Romeo drivers, Sergio Mantovani, a couple of days later Sanesi established a 17-minute lead in his car, with the Alfa Romeo marque sweeping the first five positions of the European touring car division. He gave up front line racing following an accident during the 196412 Hours of Sebring race. Only the prompt and courageous actions of Jocko Maggiocommo, a fellow driver watching at the trackside who dived into the flames and pulled Sanesi clear, Sanesi was paired with driver Roberto Bussinello in the event. Maggiacomo received a Gentleman of the Road award in November 1964 for his effort in rescuing Sanesi, maggiacomo was the proprietor of Jockos Speed Shop in Poughkeepsie, New York. The commendation was presented by the Milan Automobile Club

13.
Alfa Romeo 6C
–
The Alfa Romeo 6C name was used on road, race, and sports cars produced between 1927 and 1954 by Alfa Romeo, the 6C name refers to six cylinders of the cars straight-six engine. Bodies for these cars were made by such as James Young, Zagato, Touring, Castagna. Starting from 1933 there was also a 6C version with a factory Alfa body, in the early 1920s Vittorio Jano got a task to create a lightweight, high performance vehicle to replace the Giuseppe Merosi designed RL and RM models. The car was introduced in April 1925 at the Salone dell’ Automobile di Milano as the 6C1500, in the mid-1920s, Alfas RL was considered too large and heavy, so a new development began. The 2-liter formula that had led to Alfa Romeo winning the Automobile World Championship in 1925, the 6C1500 was introduced in 1925 at the Milan Motor Show, production started 1927, with the P2 Grand Prix car as starting point. Engine capacity was now 1487 cc, against the P2s 1987 cc, first versions were bodied by Young and Touring. In 1928, a 6C Sport was released, with a dual overhead camshafts engine and its sport version won many races, including the 1928 Mille Miglia. Ten copies of a supercharged Super Sport variant were also made, the more powerful 6C1750 was introduced in 1929 in Rome. The car featured a top speed of 95 mph, a designed to flex and undulate over wavy surfaces. It was produced in six series between 1929 and 1933, base model had a single overhead cam, Super Sport and Gran Sport versions had double overhead cam engine. Most of the cars were sold as rolling chassis and bodied by coachbuilders such as Zagato, and Touring. The Alfa Romeo 6C1900 was the last derivative of the original 6C1500, produced in 197 examples during 1933, only made in Gran Turismo guise with a 2,920 mm wheelbase, the 6C1900 replaced the corresponding 6C1750 model. Besides the larger displacement, other notable changes were aluminium cylinder heads, an improved frame. The same upgrades were applied to the 1933 model 6C1750 Gran Sport, Alfa Romeo offered the 6C1900 with an in-house 4-door saloon body, while bespoke coachbuilt body styles included 4-seat cabriolets. The double overhead camshaft, naturally aspirated engine was bored from 66 mm to 68 mm. For the first time on a 6C the cylinder head was aluminium, with 68 bhp at 4,500 rpm the 6C1900 could achieve a top speed of 130 km/h. The improved frame consisted of fully boxed rails and crossmembers, instead of the 1750s C-shaped sections, a new four-speed gearbox was fitted, with synchromesh on the two top gears and a freewheel mechanism. The 6C2300 was designed by Vittorio Jano as a lower-cost alternative to the 8C, in 1934 Alfa Romeo had become a state-owned enterprise

14.
Luigi Villoresi
–
Luigi Villoresi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception. Born in Milan, Lombardy, and nicknamed Gigi, he was the brother of race car driver Emilio Villoresi who co-piloted with him in several races at the beginning of their careers. In 1935, he raced in the Coppa Ciano, finishing third, the following year he and his brother purchased a Maserati which they drove individually in different races. Emilio was so successful that he was signed to drive an Alfa Romeo for Scuderia Ferrari in the 1937 season, in 1938, Luigi Villoresi became part of the Maserati team, driving the 8CTF model that Maserati had designed to compete with the dominant German Silver Arrows. In 1939, Maserati introduced the Maserati 4CL which Villoresi drove to victory at the the 1939 South African Grand Prix, unfortunately, his brother Emilio died later that year while testing an Alfa Romeo 158/159 Alfetta factory racer at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. A little over two weeks after his brothers death, he drove his Maserati to victory at the 1939 Adriatic Grand Prix and his racing career was interrupted by the onset of World War II. At wars end, he returned to race for Maserati until 1949 when he signed again with Ferrari debuting in Formula One on 21 May 1950, Villoresi finished second in the 1949 Buenos Aires Grand Prix-President Juan Peron Grand Prix. Alberto Ascari was the winner with a time of 1 hour,30 minutes,23.9 seconds, Villoresi won the first Grand Prix de Bruxelles, beating Alexander Orley of the United States. The winning time was 85 mph over 188-mile distance, louis Rosier was victorious in a blue Talbot, in a 500-kilometre Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, in June 1949. He took the lead following 23 laps and came across the line in front of Villoresi. Villoresi was third in a 60-mile international race at Silverstone in September 1949, Italian drivers made a clean sweep of the first three positions with Ascari first and Giuseppe Farina second as 100,000 fans looked on. English driver St. John Horsfall died when his car crashed at a turn, Villoresi skidded on oil, penetrated a barrier, and killed three spectators at the Grand Prix des Nations race in Geneva. Nino Farina impacted Villoresis car at speed but was uninjured. Villoresi broke his leg and suffered head injuries which were treated at a hospital. The Grand Prix of 272 kilometres was won by Juan Manuel Fangio, the 1951 British Grand Prix was taken by José Froilán González of Argentina. Villoresi finished third, two laps behind the winner, with an speed of 95.39 miles per hour. Villoresi completed 88 laps,2 behind Gonzalez, in July 1952 Villoresi won the French Grand Prix at Les Sables dOlonne, driving a Ferrari. He captured the three-hour, 208-mile race, with an speed of 69.3 miles per hour

15.
Ferrari 212 Inter
–
The Ferrari 212 Inter replaced Ferraris successful 166 and 195 Inter grand tourers in 1951. Unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show that year, the 212 was an evolution of the 166 — a sports car for the road that could also win international races, the chassis was similar to the 125 with a suspension featuring double wishbones in front and live axle in back. Coachbuilders included Carrozzeria Touring, Ghia, Ghia-Aigle, Vignale, Stabilimenti Farina, the latter was an important move for the company, as Farina was already well-known and adding his styling skills would be a tremendous boost for Maranello. However, Pinin Farina was as prideful as Enzo Ferrari, a mutual meeting halfway between Maranello and Turin was the negotiated solution. First Ferrari to be bodied by Pinin Farina was 212 Inter Cabriolet, the Inters 2,600 mm wheelbase was 4 longer than the 2,500 mm Exports. The cars shared a larger, bored-out 2.6 L version of Ferraris Colombo V12 engine, output was 150 hp for the single Weber 36DCF carburetor Inter,165 hp for the triple Weber Export. Improved cylinder heads raised power 5 hp in 1952, the British magazine Autocar got hold of what they described as the first production model Ferrari 212 in 1950, which outperformed any car that they had previously tested. It recorded a top speed of over 116 mph and acceleration times of 0 to 60 mph of 10.5 seconds and 100 mph in 22, the test appears also to have been the Autocar teams first encounter with a five speed gear box. A single 212 Inter, chassis no, 0223EL2, was fitted with the available 225 or 2.7 L Colombo V12, creating a unique model that would be properly referred to as a 225 Inter. This one-off model was given a Giovanni Michelotti penned berlinetta body by Vignale

16.
Ferrari 225 S
–
The Ferrari 250 is a sports car built by Ferrari from 1953 to 1964. The companys most successful line, the 250 series included several variants. It was replaced by the 275 and the 330, most 250 road cars share the same two wheelbases,2,400 mm for short wheelbase and 2,600 mm for long wheelbase. Most convertibles used the SWB type, nearly all 250s share the same Colombo Tipo 125 V12 engine. At 2,953 cc, it was notable for its weight and impressive output of up to 300 PS in the Testa Rossa. The V12 weighed hundreds of less than its chief competitors — for example. Ferrari uses the displacement of a cylinder as the model designation. The light V12 propelled the small Ferrari 250 racing cars to numerous victories, typical of Ferrari, the Colombo V12 made its debut on the race track, with the racing 250s preceding the street cars by three years. The first 250 was the experimental 250 S berlinetta prototype entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia for Giovanni Bracco, the car was later entered at Le Mans and in the Carrera Panamericana. The 250 S used a 2,250 mm wheelbase with a Tuboscocca tubular trellis frame, suspension was by double wishbones at the front, with double longitudinal semi-elliptic springs locating the live axle at the rear. The car had the drum brakes and worm-and-sector steering typical of the period, the dry-sump 3.0 L engine used three Weber 36DCF carburettors and was mated directly to a five-speed manual transmission. Following the success of the 250 S in the Mille Miglia, Pinin Farina then created coupé bodywork which had a small grille, compact tail and panoramic rear window, and the new car was launched as the 250 MM at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show. Carrozzeria Vignales open barchetta version was also a design whose recessed headlights. The 250 MMs wheelbase was longer than the 250 S at 2,400 mm, the V12 engines dry sump was omitted from the production car, and the transmission was reduced by one gear. Power was increased to 240 PS, the four-cylinder 625 TF and 735 S replaced the V12-powered 250 MM later in 1953. The 250 MMs race debut was at the 1953 Giro di Sicilia with privateer Paulo Marzotto, a Carrozzeria Morelli-bodied 250 MM barchetta driven by Clemente Biondetti came fourth in the 1954 Mille Miglia. The 1954250 Monza was and unusual hybrid of the light four-cylinder 750 Monza, the model used the 250 engine in the short-wheelbase chassis from the 750 Monza. The first two used the Pininfarina barchetta shape of the 750 Monza and a one-off 500 Mondial, two more 250 Monzas were built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, an early use of the now-familiar coachbuilder

17.
Ferrari 250
–
The Ferrari 250 is a sports car built by Ferrari from 1953 to 1964. The companys most successful line, the 250 series included several variants. It was replaced by the 275 and the 330, most 250 road cars share the same two wheelbases,2,400 mm for short wheelbase and 2,600 mm for long wheelbase. Most convertibles used the SWB type, nearly all 250s share the same Colombo Tipo 125 V12 engine. At 2,953 cc, it was notable for its weight and impressive output of up to 300 PS in the Testa Rossa. The V12 weighed hundreds of less than its chief competitors — for example. Ferrari uses the displacement of a cylinder as the model designation. The light V12 propelled the small Ferrari 250 racing cars to numerous victories, typical of Ferrari, the Colombo V12 made its debut on the race track, with the racing 250s preceding the street cars by three years. The first 250 was the experimental 250 S berlinetta prototype entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia for Giovanni Bracco, the car was later entered at Le Mans and in the Carrera Panamericana. The 250 S used a 2,250 mm wheelbase with a Tuboscocca tubular trellis frame, suspension was by double wishbones at the front, with double longitudinal semi-elliptic springs locating the live axle at the rear. The car had the drum brakes and worm-and-sector steering typical of the period, the dry-sump 3.0 L engine used three Weber 36DCF carburettors and was mated directly to a five-speed manual transmission. Following the success of the 250 S in the Mille Miglia, Pinin Farina then created coupé bodywork which had a small grille, compact tail and panoramic rear window, and the new car was launched as the 250 MM at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show. Carrozzeria Vignales open barchetta version was also a design whose recessed headlights. The 250 MMs wheelbase was longer than the 250 S at 2,400 mm, the V12 engines dry sump was omitted from the production car, and the transmission was reduced by one gear. Power was increased to 240 PS, the four-cylinder 625 TF and 735 S replaced the V12-powered 250 MM later in 1953. The 250 MMs race debut was at the 1953 Giro di Sicilia with privateer Paulo Marzotto, a Carrozzeria Morelli-bodied 250 MM barchetta driven by Clemente Biondetti came fourth in the 1954 Mille Miglia. The 1954250 Monza was and unusual hybrid of the light four-cylinder 750 Monza, the model used the 250 engine in the short-wheelbase chassis from the 750 Monza. The first two used the Pininfarina barchetta shape of the 750 Monza and a one-off 500 Mondial, two more 250 Monzas were built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, an early use of the now-familiar coachbuilder

18.
United Kingdom
–
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state‍—‌the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government

19.
Mike Hawthorn
–
John Michael Hawthorn was a British racing driver. Hawthorn also won the 195524 Hours of Le Mans, but was haunted by his involvement in the crash that marred the race. Hawthorn died in an accident six months after retiring, he was suffering from a terminal illness at the time. His father owned the Tourist Trophy Garage in Farnham, franchised to supply and service several high performance brands including Jaguar and his father raced motorcycles and supported his sons racing career, when he died in a road accident, in 1954, Mike Hawthorn inherited the business. Mike Hawthorn made his debut in his 1934 Riley Ulster Imp, KV9475. In 1951, driving a 1½-litre T. T. Riley, he entered the Motor Sport Brooklands Memorial Trophy and he also won the Ulster Trophy Handicap at Dundrod and the Leinster Trophy at Wicklow that year. By 1952, he had switched to single-seaters and during that season won his first race in a Formula Two Cooper-Bristol T20 at Goodwood, further successes followed which brought him to the attention of Enzo Ferrari who offered him a works drive. He made his Formula One debut at the 1952 Grote Prijs van Belgie on the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, finishing in fourth place. By the end of the season, he had secured his first podium, with a third place at the RAC British Grand Prix. This and two podium finishes helped him end the season fourth overall. He also won the BRDC International Trophy and the Ulster Trophy as well as the 24 Heures de Spa Francorchamps with Ferrari team-mate Giuseppe Farina, in January 1955, Hawthorn joined the Jaguar racing team, replacing Stirling Moss, who had left for Mercedes. Hawthorn won the 1955 les 24 Heures du Mans following what has been described as a drive in which he set a lap record of 122.388 mph during a three-hour duel with Fangio in the early stages. The impact shattered the front end of the car, which then somersaulted high, pitching debris into the spectator area, the debris, including bonnet, engine, and front axle, which separated from the frame, flew through the crowd. Eight hours later, while leading the race 1, the French press carried photographs of Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb celebrating their win with the customary champagne but treated them with scorn. The official inquiry into the accident ruled that Hawthorn was not responsible for the crash, the death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for track design. The Grandstand and pit areas were demolished and rebuilt soon after, the death toll led to a ban on motorsports in France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and other nations, until the tracks could be brought to a higher safety standard. Another change of team for 1956 – this team to BRM - was a failure, in 1957, Hawthorn rejoined the Ferrari factory team, and soon became friends with Peter Collins, a fellow Englishman and Ferrari team driver. During the 1957 and 1958 racing seasons, the two Englishmen became engaged in a rivalry with Luigi Musso, another Ferrari driver, for prize money

20.
Ferrari 735 S
–
A Ferrari Monza is one of a series of cars built by Ferrari. Inspired by the success of the light and reliable 2.5 L553 F1 car, one important stylistic difference between most four-cylinder Ferraris is that they lacked the hood scoops common on V12 models. The V12 cars used downdraft carburettors located centrally in the valley of the engine, while the inline-engined fours used side-draft units,1953 was a breakout year for Ferrari, beginning with the new World Sportscar Championship series. The company augmented their traditional V12-powered 250 MM with the new 340 MM and 375 MM, with this profusion of cars, Ferrari was able to sweep the first running of the sportscar championship. The first four-cylinder closed-wheel sports racer from Ferrari was the 625 TF of 1953, resembling the Vignale-designed 250 MM barchetta in most respects, the 625 TF used a 2.5 L straight-4 lifted from the 625 F1 car instead of the 250s 3.0 L V12. It was a car, with the same 2250 mm wheelbase as the 250. The engine produced 220 hp at 7000 rpm and could push the little roadster to over 240 km/h, the lightweight car debuted at the hands of Mike Hawthorn at Monza on June 29,1953. Although it could not keep up on the long straights at that track, a single closed 625 TF coupe, one of the last Ferraris designed and built by Vignale, was created in the Spring of 1953. The same day that the 625 TF debuted, another car was fielded for Alberto Ascari, sporting an enlarged 2.9 L engine, Ascaris 735 S was more capable at Monza, leading the race until he collided with a 250 MM. The 735 S was a barchetta bodied by Carrozzeria Autodromo with recessed headlights, a drooping grille, the 1954 and 1955 seasons were the heyday of the four-cylinder Ferrari sports racer. The company hit its stride, earning the World Sportscar Championship in 1954, the Ferrari sports car lineup at the beginning of 1954 was made up of the 2.0 L500 Mondial and 3.0 L750 Monza. The team replaced the Mondial with the 500 TR later that year, the planned V12 sports racer family, including the 250 Monza of 1954 and planned 410 S of 1955, were less notable. The early experiments with Lampredis four-cylinder engine led to the creation of the famed 500 Mondial. Named to mark the world championships won by Alberto Ascari, the 500 Mondial featured a 2.0 L version of Lampredis four-cylinder engine in a small and light body with an advanced suspension. The car debuted on December 20,1953 at the 12 Hours of Casablanca driven by Ascari and Luigi Villoresi, the 500 Mondials 2.0 L engine was taken from the 500 F2 which won the world championship but was detuned to produce 170 hp. It was extremely light at 720 kg and handled well with a modern de Dion tube rear suspension, the first 500 Mondials were coupes bodied by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, but Pinin Farina later created a series of barchettas. The Mondial remained competitive through the end of the decade, including an entry in the 1957 Mille Miglia, the car won the prestigious Gran Turismo Trophy at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours dElegance, meaning it will eventually be re-created for use in Gran Turismo 6. 1954 saw the introduction of a new sports racer, the 750 Monza

21.
France
–
France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks

22.
Maserati
–
Maserati is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna. The companys headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident and it has been owned by the Italian-American car giant Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and FCAs Italian predecessor Fiat S. p. A. since 1993. In May 2014, due to plans and product launches. This caused them to production of the Quattroporte and Ghibli models. Maserati is placing a production output cap at 75,000 vehicles globally, the Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, and Ernesto were all involved with automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century. Alfieri, Bindo and Ernesto built 2-litre Grand Prix cars for Diatto, in 1926, Diatto suspended the production of race cars, leading to the creation of the first Maserati and the founding of the Maserati marque. One of the first Maseratis, driven by Alfieri, won the 1926 Targa Florio, Maserati began making race cars with 4,6,8 and 16 cylinders. The trident logo of the Maserati car company is based on the Fountain of Neptune in Bolognas Piazza Maggiore, in 1920, one of the Maserati brothers, artist Mario, used this symbol in the logo at the suggestion of family friend Marquis Diego de Sterlich. Alfieri Maserati died in 1932, but three brothers, Bindo, Ernesto and Ettore, kept the firm going, building cars that won races. The brothers continued in engineering roles with the company, Racing successes continued, even against the giants of German racing, Auto Union and Mercedes. In back-to-back wins in 1939 and 1940, a Maserati 8CTF won the Indianapolis 500, the war then intervened, Maserati abandoned car making to produce components for the Italian war effort. During this time, Maserati worked in fierce competition to construct a V16 town car for Benito Mussolini before Ferry Porsche of Volkswagen built one for Adolf Hitler and this failed, and the plans were scrapped. Once peace was restored, Maserati returned to making cars, the Maserati A6 series did well in the racing scene. Key people joined the Maserati team, alberto Massimino, an old Fiat engineer, with both Alfa Romeo and Ferrari experiences oversaw the design of all racing models for the next ten years. With him joined engineers Giulio Alfieri, Vittorio Bellentani, and Gioacchino Colombo, the focus was on the best engines and chassis to succeed in car racing. These new projects saw the last contributions of the Maserati brothers and this new team at Maserati worked on several projects, the 4CLT, the A6 series, the 8CLT, and, pivotally for the future success of the company, the A6GCS. Other racing projects in the 1950s were the 200S, 300S, 350S, Maserati retired from factory racing participation because of the Guidizzolo tragedy during the 1957 Mille Miglia, though they continued to build cars for privateers. Maserati became more and more focused on building road-going grand tourers, the 1957 Maserati 3500 GT marked a turning point in the marques history, as its first ground-up grand tourer design and first series produced car

23.
Maserati 300S
–
The Maserati 300S was a racing car produced by Maserati of Italy between 1955–8, which competed in the FIAs World Sportscar Championship. The compression ratio was reduced from 12,1 to 9.5,1 and it used three Weber carburettors, initially 42DCO3, later 45DCO3. A trellis structure was used instead of the one of the 250F. The brakes were the same as the 250F, precisely machined alloy drums with extensive fining, the suspension was also of the same design as the 250F but with some strengthening to cope with the rougher tracks and road surfaces encountered in WSC racing. New features for the 300S included the incorporation of a De Dion type rear axle, after a poor showing in the first season due mainly to mechanical malfunctions and development problems, it won at the Nürburgring in 1956 and finished second overall. It was second to the Maserati 450S, and was followed by the Maserati 350S, after the Guidizzolo accident, the last few 300S were sold to customers in the USA. Giulio Alfieri gave up an attempt to fit it with fuel injection, one 300S was developed with the new V12 engine, becoming the Maserati 350S. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame is a long term owner of a 300S and has raced the car in historic competitions

24.
Peter Collins (racing driver)
–
Peter John Collins was a British racing driver. He was killed in the 1958 German Grand Prix, just weeks after winning the RAC British Grand Prix and he started his career as a 17-year-old in 1949, impressing in Formula 3 races, finishing third in the 1951 Autosport National Formula 3 Championship. Born on 6 November 1931, Collins grew up in Mustow Green, Kidderminster, the son of a motor-garage owner and haulage merchant, Collins became interested in motor vehicles at a young age. He was expelled from school at 16 owing to spending time at a fairground during school hours. He became an apprentice in his fathers garage and began competing in local trials races, in common with many British drivers of the time, Collins began racing in the 500 cc category, when his parents bought him a Cooper 500 from the fledgling Cooper Car Company. Success for Collins started once he switched to the JBS-Norton in 1951 and those small vehicles, powered by Norton motorcycle engines, were also the proving ground of many of Collins F1 contemporaries, including Stirling Moss. During that test, Aston was joined by the Formula 2 team, HWM – and by the time the teams were preparing to leave, Collins had a contract with both. At HWM Collins he became part of a team with Lance Macklin and Moss. Collins showed in speed, but the underfinanced HWM-Alta rarely finished a race and his best result was second place in the Grand Prix des Sables dOlonne. Collins got his Formula One break in 1952, with HWM when he replaced Moss and his best result in a World Champion event was sixth in the Grand Prix de l’ACF at Rouen-Les-Essarts. Success did not come the way, and Collins left after the 1953 season. Not known for his knowledge, Collins was happy to have his mechanics set up his car. This was evident in 1954, when Tony Vandervell signed Collins to drive the fearsome Thinwall Special, the potent machine was a crowd pleaser at Formula Libre events. He raced a Maserati 250F belonging to owner, Alfred Owen, winning the BRDC International Trophy. These results led to a drive with the works Maserati in the Gran Premio dItalia, meanwhile he had better success in sportscars. Throughout the first half of the 1950s, Collins was a performer for the Aston Martin team. The following year he took the Aston Martin DB3S he shared with Pat Griffith to victory in the RAC Tourist Trophy at Dundrod, further successes included second places in an Aston Martin DB3S at Le Mans in 1955 and 1956 with Paul Frère and Moss respectively. For the 1956 season, Collins joined Ferrari on the strength of a drive in the previous year’s Targa Florio

25.
Ferrari 500 TR
–
A Ferrari Monza is one of a series of cars built by Ferrari. Inspired by the success of the light and reliable 2.5 L553 F1 car, one important stylistic difference between most four-cylinder Ferraris is that they lacked the hood scoops common on V12 models. The V12 cars used downdraft carburettors located centrally in the valley of the engine, while the inline-engined fours used side-draft units,1953 was a breakout year for Ferrari, beginning with the new World Sportscar Championship series. The company augmented their traditional V12-powered 250 MM with the new 340 MM and 375 MM, with this profusion of cars, Ferrari was able to sweep the first running of the sportscar championship. The first four-cylinder closed-wheel sports racer from Ferrari was the 625 TF of 1953, resembling the Vignale-designed 250 MM barchetta in most respects, the 625 TF used a 2.5 L straight-4 lifted from the 625 F1 car instead of the 250s 3.0 L V12. It was a car, with the same 2250 mm wheelbase as the 250. The engine produced 220 hp at 7000 rpm and could push the little roadster to over 240 km/h, the lightweight car debuted at the hands of Mike Hawthorn at Monza on June 29,1953. Although it could not keep up on the long straights at that track, a single closed 625 TF coupe, one of the last Ferraris designed and built by Vignale, was created in the Spring of 1953. The same day that the 625 TF debuted, another car was fielded for Alberto Ascari, sporting an enlarged 2.9 L engine, Ascaris 735 S was more capable at Monza, leading the race until he collided with a 250 MM. The 735 S was a barchetta bodied by Carrozzeria Autodromo with recessed headlights, a drooping grille, the 1954 and 1955 seasons were the heyday of the four-cylinder Ferrari sports racer. The company hit its stride, earning the World Sportscar Championship in 1954, the Ferrari sports car lineup at the beginning of 1954 was made up of the 2.0 L500 Mondial and 3.0 L750 Monza. The team replaced the Mondial with the 500 TR later that year, the planned V12 sports racer family, including the 250 Monza of 1954 and planned 410 S of 1955, were less notable. The early experiments with Lampredis four-cylinder engine led to the creation of the famed 500 Mondial. Named to mark the world championships won by Alberto Ascari, the 500 Mondial featured a 2.0 L version of Lampredis four-cylinder engine in a small and light body with an advanced suspension. The car debuted on December 20,1953 at the 12 Hours of Casablanca driven by Ascari and Luigi Villoresi, the 500 Mondials 2.0 L engine was taken from the 500 F2 which won the world championship but was detuned to produce 170 hp. It was extremely light at 720 kg and handled well with a modern de Dion tube rear suspension, the first 500 Mondials were coupes bodied by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, but Pinin Farina later created a series of barchettas. The Mondial remained competitive through the end of the decade, including an entry in the 1957 Mille Miglia, the car won the prestigious Gran Turismo Trophy at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours dElegance, meaning it will eventually be re-created for use in Gran Turismo 6. 1954 saw the introduction of a new sports racer, the 750 Monza

26.
Ferrari 250 GT
–
The Ferrari 250 is a sports car built by Ferrari from 1953 to 1964. The companys most successful line, the 250 series included several variants. It was replaced by the 275 and the 330, most 250 road cars share the same two wheelbases,2,400 mm for short wheelbase and 2,600 mm for long wheelbase. Most convertibles used the SWB type, nearly all 250s share the same Colombo Tipo 125 V12 engine. At 2,953 cc, it was notable for its weight and impressive output of up to 300 PS in the Testa Rossa. The V12 weighed hundreds of less than its chief competitors — for example. Ferrari uses the displacement of a cylinder as the model designation. The light V12 propelled the small Ferrari 250 racing cars to numerous victories, typical of Ferrari, the Colombo V12 made its debut on the race track, with the racing 250s preceding the street cars by three years. The first 250 was the experimental 250 S berlinetta prototype entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia for Giovanni Bracco, the car was later entered at Le Mans and in the Carrera Panamericana. The 250 S used a 2,250 mm wheelbase with a Tuboscocca tubular trellis frame, suspension was by double wishbones at the front, with double longitudinal semi-elliptic springs locating the live axle at the rear. The car had the drum brakes and worm-and-sector steering typical of the period, the dry-sump 3.0 L engine used three Weber 36DCF carburettors and was mated directly to a five-speed manual transmission. Following the success of the 250 S in the Mille Miglia, Pinin Farina then created coupé bodywork which had a small grille, compact tail and panoramic rear window, and the new car was launched as the 250 MM at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show. Carrozzeria Vignales open barchetta version was also a design whose recessed headlights. The 250 MMs wheelbase was longer than the 250 S at 2,400 mm, the V12 engines dry sump was omitted from the production car, and the transmission was reduced by one gear. Power was increased to 240 PS, the four-cylinder 625 TF and 735 S replaced the V12-powered 250 MM later in 1953. The 250 MMs race debut was at the 1953 Giro di Sicilia with privateer Paulo Marzotto, a Carrozzeria Morelli-bodied 250 MM barchetta driven by Clemente Biondetti came fourth in the 1954 Mille Miglia. The 1954250 Monza was and unusual hybrid of the light four-cylinder 750 Monza, the model used the 250 engine in the short-wheelbase chassis from the 750 Monza. The first two used the Pininfarina barchetta shape of the 750 Monza and a one-off 500 Mondial, two more 250 Monzas were built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, an early use of the now-familiar coachbuilder

27.
Scuderia Serenissima
–
Scuderia Serenissima and Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia were names used by Giovanni Volpi to enter his own cars in Formula One and sports car racing in the early 1960s. Scuderia Serenissima was an auto racing team in the early 1960s. Funded by Giovanni Volpi, Serenissima used Ferraris to much success until the founder financed the exiled Ferrari company, thereafter, Enzo Ferrari would no longer sell his cars to Serenissima, so the company turned to De Tomaso, ATS, and Maserati. Volpi, and thus Serenissima, halted operations in 1970. In 1961, Scuderia Serenissima entered the Formula One World Championship and they first entered a Cooper T51 for Maurice Trintignant at the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, where he finished seventh. In Belgium, Trintignant retired on lap 23 with a gearbox after having qualified his car in 19th place. At the 1961 French Grand Prix, Scuderia Serenissima entered two cars, again the Cooper for Trintignant and a De Tomaso for Giorgio Scarlatti. Trintignant finished in 13th place while Scarlatti retired on lap 15 when his engine broke down, at the German Grand Prix Trintignant retired on lap 12 when his engine broke down. In the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, Scuderia Serenissima again entered two cars, the Cooper for Trintignant and a De Tomaso for Nino Vaccarella, Trintignant finished the race in ninth place and Vaccarella retired on lap 13 when his engine broke down. In 1962, now called Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia, they entered cars for Nino Vaccarella, in Monaco, Vaccarella failed to qualify for the race. Three races later in Germany, Vaccarella finished in 15th place, at the last race for the Scuderia in Italy Vaccarella finished in 9th place. In 1966 Serenissima supplied engines to McLaren, and at the 1966 British Grand Prix Bruce McLaren finished in sixth place, scoring one World Championship point. In 1963, Volpi began developing his own prototype GT car and it used a new V8 engine, designed by Alberto Massimino, with closed bodywork by Francesco Salomone. A later open version was built by Fantuzzi, history of the Serenissima Ghia Coupé

28.
Belgium
–
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a sovereign state in Western Europe bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and the North Sea. It is a small, densely populated country which covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres and has a population of about 11 million people. Additionally, there is a group of German-speakers who live in the East Cantons located around the High Fens area. Historically, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were known as the Low Countries, the region was called Belgica in Latin, after the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. From the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century, today, Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. It is divided into three regions and three communities, that exist next to each other and its two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region is a bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia, Belgiums linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance, made up of six different governments. Upon its independence, declared in 1830, Belgium participated in the Industrial Revolution and, during the course of the 20th century, possessed a number of colonies in Africa. This continuing antagonism has led to several far-reaching reforms, resulting in a transition from a unitary to a federal arrangement during the period from 1970 to 1993. Belgium is also a member of the Eurozone, NATO, OECD and WTO. Its capital, Brussels, hosts several of the EUs official seats as well as the headquarters of major international organizations such as NATO. Belgium is also a part of the Schengen Area, Belgium is a developed country, with an advanced high-income economy and is categorized as very high in the Human Development Index. A gradual immigration by Germanic Frankish tribes during the 5th century brought the area under the rule of the Merovingian kings, a gradual shift of power during the 8th century led the kingdom of the Franks to evolve into the Carolingian Empire. Many of these fiefdoms were united in the Burgundian Netherlands of the 14th and 15th centuries, the Eighty Years War divided the Low Countries into the northern United Provinces and the Southern Netherlands. The latter were ruled successively by the Spanish and the Austrian Habsburgs and this was the theatre of most Franco-Spanish and Franco-Austrian wars during the 17th and 18th centuries. The reunification of the Low Countries as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands occurred at the dissolution of the First French Empire in 1815, although the franchise was initially restricted, universal suffrage for men was introduced after the general strike of 1893 and for women in 1949. The main political parties of the 19th century were the Catholic Party, French was originally the single official language adopted by the nobility and the bourgeoisie

29.
Roy Salvadori
–
Roy Francesco Salvadori was a British racing driver and team manager. He was born in Dovercourt, Essex, to parents of Italian descent and he graduated to Formula One by 1952 and competed regularly until 1962 for a succession of teams including Cooper, Vanwall, BRM, Aston Martin and Connaught. Also a competitor in other formulae, he won the 195924 Heures du Mans in an Aston Martin with co-driver Carroll Shelby, in 47 starts he achieved one F1 Championship podium finish—third place at the RAC British Grand Prix—and won non-championship races in Australia, New Zealand and England. In 1961 he was lying second in the United States Grand Prix when his Coopers engine failed, at the end of 1962 he retired from F1, and he stopped racing altogether a couple of years later to concentrate on the motor trade. He returned to the sport in 1966 to manage the Cooper-Maserati squad for two seasons, and eventually retired to Monaco. It was with this car, he raced in the 1947 Grand Prix des Frontières, despite this, Salvasdori still cruised home to record an impressive fifth place. He then decided to pursue a career, and drove a number of different makes as his career progressed. He was in critical condition after suffering a skull and other severe injuries. He came so close enough to death, he was given the last rites, through he wasnt alone in that, he became known as King of the Airfields. Certainly, he piled up the wins at Silverstone, Snetterton, roy race with all the tough nut tenacity benefitting of a man who made good in the second-hand car trade in the immediate post-war England. He twice won the Oulton Parks International Gold Cup – and there were plenty of adjacent trees to hit there, plus there was a lake to plunge into, which he did once abroad a Jaguar Mk. II3.8 saloon. Nor was the Mulsanne Straight at night a place for the inaccurate or nervous – and he scored his most notable success at Le Mans and he would continue to race the Ferrari, winning the Joe Fry Memorial Trophy. For the 1953 season, Salvadori joined the Connaught team and competed in five Grands Prix with the Connaught A type, however, he did secured a number of non-championship victories during the season. However, he remained active in domestic motor sport and in sports cars for Aston Martin. Ever since his Championship debut in 1952, Salvadori would experience retirement after retirement, out of the ten races contested between 1953 and 1956, he would retire early in every single one of them. But this all change in 1957, when he signed with Cooper achieving only one place at RAC British Grand Prix. However,1958 was his most successful season, finishing fourth in the World Drivers Championship for Cooper, behind Mike Hawthorn, Stirling Moss, over the course of the season, he would earn two podium finishes, including a second place in the Großer Preis von Deutschland. However he was not retained by Cooper for 1959 but drove a privately entered Cooper, the Aston Martin was a traditional front engined car, which was soon outclassed by the Cooper rear engined concept

30.
Aston Martin DP214
–
The Aston Martin DP214 was a prototype sports car developed by Aston Martin for use in grand touring-style racing, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Two DP214s were built in 1963, with one surviving today, just like its predecessor, the DP212, to comply with GT regulations, the DP214 was based on DB4GT chassis, numbers #0194/R and #0195/R. The body was redesigned, using elements from the DP212 such as the Kamm tail rear end. The bodywork would be wider than the DP212 though, and the nose would be a new design. The DP214 would also use a production Tadek Marek 3. 7-litre Inline-6, unlike the DP212s larger 4. 0-litre engine Unlike the DP212, the DP214s would be used in races other than Le Mans. The DP214 made its debut with DP215 at the 196324 Hours of Le Mans, Bill Kimberley and Jo Schlesser in 0194 and Bruce McLaren and Innes Ireland in 0195. During practice recording, DP214 set a time of 3m 58. 7s. The race plan was for 0194 and 0195 to lap at 4m 15s, on lap 28 McLaren in 0195 pitted when leading the GT class and 10th overall. Christian Heins Alpine M63 Renault was unable to avoid the wreck, swerved out of control, hit another vehicle and spun into a lamp post exploding into flames, killing him instantly. DP2140194 had to stop on lap three to unblock a main jet, but had more luck during the race, reaching 5th overall in 110 laps. By 10 hours Kimberley and Schlesser were lying 3rd overall and leading the GT class, however they suffered the fate as McLaren and Ireland. That was Aston Martins last Le Mans of the era, the piston failure was caused by inadequate strength around the underside of the gudgeon-pin boss. Perhaps, another missed opportunity for Aston Martin, moving to the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch, a lone DP214, driven by Innes Ireland would manage to finish in sixth place overall, and second in class. With the second DP214 retiring, after spinning off and this was followed by a seventh-place finish and fourth in class in the TT at Goodwood for 0194, with 0195, driven by McLaren retiring after 95 laps with a valve failure. The two cars were capable of winning the TT at Goodwood in the hands of Innes Ireland and Bruce McLaren. As it was, they were required to race with 5.5 inch rims and they had never run with these narrow rims in the first place, and were never to do so again. An angry Innes Ireland spent the race going luridly sideways in the car which he had originally put on pole. Next was a victory at the Inter-Europa Cup at Monza driven by Salvadori, setting a new GT lap record and this race also saw the second DP214 ) take 3rd

31.
1963 World Sportscar Championship season
–
The 1963 World Sportscar Championship season was the 11th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. The season ran from 17 February 1963 to 14 September 1963 over 22 events and this was the first World Sportscar Championship season to include hillclimb and rally events. Each of the following 22 events counted towards one or more of the FIA titles, all divisions did not compete in all events and some events were open to classes which were not contesting a championship or trophy round. 1963 World Sportscar Championship – Race results

32.
Netherlands
–
The Netherlands is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three territories in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom. The three largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, Amsterdam is the countrys capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government. The port of Rotterdam is the worlds largest port outside East-Asia, the name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands. Netherlands literally means lower countries, influenced by its low land and flat geography, most of the areas below sea level are artificial. Since the late 16th century, large areas have been reclaimed from the sea and lakes, with a population density of 412 people per km2 –507 if water is excluded – the Netherlands is classified as a very densely populated country. Only Bangladesh, South Korea, and Taiwan have both a population and higher population density. Nevertheless, the Netherlands is the worlds second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products and this is partly due to the fertility of the soil and the mild climate. In 2001, it became the worlds first country to legalise same-sex marriage, the Netherlands is a founding member of the EU, Eurozone, G-10, NATO, OECD and WTO, as well as being a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. The first four are situated in The Hague, as is the EUs criminal intelligence agency Europol and this has led to the city being dubbed the worlds legal capital. The country also ranks second highest in the worlds 2016 Press Freedom Index, the Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy, ranking 17th of 177 countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom. It had the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world in 2013 according to the International Monetary Fund, in 2013, the United Nations World Happiness Report ranked the Netherlands as the seventh-happiest country in the world, reflecting its high quality of life. The Netherlands also ranks joint second highest in the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, the region called Low Countries and the country of the Netherlands have the same toponymy. Place names with Neder, Nieder, Nether and Nedre and Bas or Inferior are in use in all over Europe. They are sometimes used in a relation to a higher ground that consecutively is indicated as Upper, Boven, Oben. In the case of the Low Countries / the Netherlands the geographical location of the region has been more or less downstream. The geographical location of the region, however, changed over time tremendously

33.
Rob Slotemaker
–
Rob Sloot Slotemaker was a Dutch racing driver. He entered one Formula One World Championship race, the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix, with one of Carel Godin de Beauforts Porsches and his entry was taken by Wolfgang Seidel. Throughout the 1960s Slotemaker competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, in 1956, he established his Anti-skid driving school at Zandvoort, which is still operating today. On 16 September 1979, at the Circuit Park Zandvoort, Slotemaker was killed when he crashed his Chevrolet Camaro during the Trophy of the Dunes touring car race and his car spun on a patch of oil and collided with a course car parked alongside the track. Despite the relatively minor force of the accident, he suffered a broken neck, a doctor in the course car was also injured. A section of the circuit, the right-hander past Hunzerug, is named in his memory

34.
Ben Pon
–
Bernardus Marinus Ben Pon is a vintner and former Olympian and motor racing driver from the Netherlands. He competed in one Formula One race, the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix and he also represented the Netherlands in clay pigeon shooting at the 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing 31st. Ben Pon was a friend of Formula One driver Carel Godin de Beaufort. It was de Beauforts own Ecurie Maarsbergen privateer team that provided a Porsche 787 for him to race at Zandvoort and he failed to finish the race due to an accident, which flipped his car over, throwing Pon out of the cockpit. In response, Pon vowed never again to race single-seaters, and in the years that followed he remained true to his word, Pon retired from professional sports car racing in 1965. Since his retirement in the arena, Pon has turned his attention to the wine trade. He is now known for his Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley, California, Bernadus Winery website Profile on F1 Rejects Biography of Bernadus Pon Whos Who of Volkswagen

35.
Porsche 904
–
The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. It was officially called Porsche Carrera GTS due to the naming rights problem that required renaming the Porsche 901 to Porsche 911. After having withdrawn from Formula One at the end of the 1962 season, the 904 debuted late in 1963, for the 1964 racing season, as a successor to the 718, which had been introduced in 1957. Porsche designed the GTS variant to compete in the FIA-GT class at various racing events. The street-legal version debuted in 1964 in order to comply with group 3 appendix J homologation regulations requiring a number of road-going variants be sold by the factory. Porsche produced one-hundred six 904s at four or five a day with a list price of US$7245, orders far exceeded the one hundred car requirement to satisfy homologation rules and more cars could have been sold. The 904 marked the beginning of a series of sportscars that culminated in the dominant 917, the 904s mid-engine layout was inherited from the 718, also known as the RSK, the factorys leading race car. It was powered by the 1,966 cc Type 587/3, four-cam flat four-cylinder engine producing 198 hp, probably the most complex four-cylinder ever. It drove a five-speed transmission with a standard 4.428,1 final drive, with available 4.605,4.260,3.636, and 3.362 ratios. Begun as the Type 547, its development began in 1953, Porsche realized it needed something all-new. The 1.5 liter weighed 310 lb dry, eventually producing 180 hp, a complex design that proved very taxing to build and assemble, but very durable, it was used in 34 different models, including 550 spyders,356 Carreras, and F2/1s. The 904 was the first Porsche to use a chassis and fibreglass body, appearing more like a specialist racing car than the modified sports cars typical at the time. The fibreglass body was bonded to its steel chassis for extra rigidity, while many German race cars had used unpainted aluminium bodies since the famous 1934 Silver Arrows, most 904s were painted silver, the modern German national racing color. Unusually for Porsche, the bodies were provided by contractors. Frontal area was only 14 sq ft, the Porsche 904 rode on coil springs, with unequal-length A-arms in front. The wheelbase was 90.5 in, track front and rear 51.7 in, height 42 in, brakes were 275 mm discs at thefront and 285 mm at the rear. To satisfy demand, twenty 1965 models were produced, some featuring a variant of the 911s flat-six. A few factory race cars were fitted with a flat eight-cylinder power plant derived from the 1962804 F1 car, the 225 hp 1,962 cc Type 771, the Type 771s, however, suffered a disturbing habit of making their flywheels explode

Le Mans Series
–
The European Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de lOuest. The European Le Mans Series is similar to the American Le Mans Series based in the United States and Canada that was running with ACO, ELMS team champions and runners-up receive an automatic

1.
European Le Mans Series

Autodromo Nazionale Monza
–
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the city of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. Built in 1922, it is the worlds third purpose-built motor racing circuit after those of Brooklands, the circuits biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix. With the exception of 1980, the race has been hosted there since the seriess inc

Jacky Ickx
–
Jacky Ickx was introduced to the sport when he was taken by his father, motoring journalist Jacques Ickx, to races which he covered. Despite this family background, Jacky had limited interest in the sport until his father bought him a 50 cc Zündapp motorcycle, soon afterwards, Ickx won 8 of 13 races at the first season and the European 50 cc trials

1.
Jacky Ickx in 2013.

2.
Jacky Ickx driving a Ferrari 312PB at the Nürburgring in 1973

3.
Ickx at the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix.

4.
Jacky Ickx's Ferrari 312B2 (1971/72)

Scuderia Ferrari
–
Scuderia Ferrari S. p. A. competing as Scuderia Ferrari is the official name of the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer, Ferrari, and competes in Formula One racing. It is the oldest surviving and most successful Formula One team, the team was founded by Enzo Ferrari, initially to race cars produced by Alfa Romeo, though by 1947 Fer

1.
Phil Hill driving for Ferrari at the 1962 German Grand Prix.

2.
Ferrari

3.
Lorenzo Bandini driving for Ferrari at the 1966 German Grand Prix.

4.
Niki Lauda driving for Ferrari at the 1976 German Grand Prix.

Ferrari
–
Ferrari N. V. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1939 as Auto Avio Costruzioni, the company built its first car in 1940, however the companys inception as an auto manufacturer is usually recognized in 1947, when the first Ferrari-badged car was completed. Ferrari is the worlds most powerful accordin

1.
166MM Barchetta 212/225

2.
Ferrari 312T2 Formula One car driven by Niki Lauda

3.
Scuderia Ferrari won a Formula One driver's title in 2007, with Kimi Räikkönen.

4.
A 312PB (driven by Jacky Ickx) during the team's final year in the World Sportscar Championship.

Endurance racing (motorsport)
–
Endurance racing is a form of motorsport racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a distance in a single event. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, one of the more common lengths of endurance races has bee

1.
Rolling start of the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours

2.
The inaugural Willhire 24 Hour, Snetterton, 1980

3.
Driving under safety car in 2007 Mil Milhas Brasil

Sports car racing
–
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going models, a type of hybrid between the purism of open-wheelers and the familiarity of touring car racing, this style is often associated with the annual Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. First

1.
One of the Audi R18 's of Joest Racing during the 2012 12 Hours of Sebring

2.
1900 NW Rennzweier (The Double Racer)

3.
The 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans was won in a Jaguar XKD

4.
The McLaren M8E that was driven by Vic Elford in the 1971 Can-Am season

World Sportscar Championship
–
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992. The official name of the series changed throughout the years, however it has generally been known as the World Sportscar Championship from its inception in 1953. The World Sportscar Championship was, with the Formula One World Championship,

1.
Ferrari 330 P4 at "1000 km di Monza", 1967

2.
A works Rothmans Porsche 956 at Silverstone

FIA GT Championship
–
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile. The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia, at the end of 2009, the championship was replaced by the FIA GT1

1.
A Maserati MC12 competing against a Chevrolet Corvette C5-R

2.
The FIA GT Championship logo.

Italy
–
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is refe

1.
The Colosseum in Rome, built c. 70 – 80 AD, is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering of ancient history.

2.
Flag

3.
The Iron Crown of Lombardy, for centuries symbol of the Kings of Italy.

4.
Castel del Monte, built by German Emperor Frederick II, UNESCO World Heritage site

Ferrari 166 S
–
See also the 166 Inter GT car The Ferrari 166 S was an evolution of Ferraris 125 S sports race car that became a sports car for the street in the form of the 166 Inter. Only 39 Ferrari 166 S were produced, soon followed by the production of the 166 Mille Miglia which was made in larger numbers from 1949 to 1952. The 166 MM were in fact updated 166

1.
Ferrari 166

Consalvo Sanesi
–
He competed in five Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 3 September 1950. Although, on his day, his experience with the cars meant that he was one of the fastest men on the racetrack. He scored only 3 championship points and he found some success driving in sports car racing, continuing into the mid-1960s. A year later he won hi

1.
Consalvo Sanesi

Alfa Romeo 6C
–
The Alfa Romeo 6C name was used on road, race, and sports cars produced between 1927 and 1954 by Alfa Romeo, the 6C name refers to six cylinders of the cars straight-six engine. Bodies for these cars were made by such as James Young, Zagato, Touring, Castagna. Starting from 1933 there was also a 6C version with a factory Alfa body, in the early 192

1.
Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Touring Berlina

2.
6C 1500 Super Sport 1929 from Louwman Collection

3.
6C 1500 Drophead Coupe by James Young (1928)

4.
6C 1500 Sport Zagato Spider (1928)

Luigi Villoresi
–
Luigi Villoresi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception. Born in Milan, Lombardy, and nicknamed Gigi, he was the brother of race car driver Emilio Villoresi who co-piloted with him in several races at the beginning of their careers. In 1935, he raced in the Coppa Cia

1.
Luigi Villoresi

Ferrari 212 Inter
–
The Ferrari 212 Inter replaced Ferraris successful 166 and 195 Inter grand tourers in 1951. Unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show that year, the 212 was an evolution of the 166 — a sports car for the road that could also win international races, the chassis was similar to the 125 with a suspension featuring double wishbones in front and live axle in

1.
Ferrari 212 Inter

2.
Vignale 's 212 show car from 1952

Ferrari 225 S
–
The Ferrari 250 is a sports car built by Ferrari from 1953 to 1964. The companys most successful line, the 250 series included several variants. It was replaced by the 275 and the 330, most 250 road cars share the same two wheelbases,2,400 mm for short wheelbase and 2,600 mm for long wheelbase. Most convertibles used the SWB type, nearly all 250s s

1.
1962 250 GT/E

2.
250 Europa GT

3.
Ferrari 1953 250 MM in the 2012 Mille Miglia tour

4.
1964 250 LM

Ferrari 250
–
The Ferrari 250 is a sports car built by Ferrari from 1953 to 1964. The companys most successful line, the 250 series included several variants. It was replaced by the 275 and the 330, most 250 road cars share the same two wheelbases,2,400 mm for short wheelbase and 2,600 mm for long wheelbase. Most convertibles used the SWB type, nearly all 250s s

1.
1962 250 GT/E

2.
250 Europa GT

3.
Ferrari 1953 250 MM in the 2012 Mille Miglia tour

4.
1964 250 LM

United Kingdom
–
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border wi

1.
Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, was erected around 2500 BC.

2.
Flag

3.
The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings, 1066, and the events leading to it.

4.
The Treaty of Union led to a single united kingdom encompassing all Great Britain.

Mike Hawthorn
–
John Michael Hawthorn was a British racing driver. Hawthorn also won the 195524 Hours of Le Mans, but was haunted by his involvement in the crash that marred the race. Hawthorn died in an accident six months after retiring, he was suffering from a terminal illness at the time. His father owned the Tourist Trophy Garage in Farnham, franchised to sup

1.
Mike Hawthorn

2.
Hawthorn driving his Ferrari at the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix

3.
A 1959 Jaguar 3.4 Mk.1

Ferrari 735 S
–
A Ferrari Monza is one of a series of cars built by Ferrari. Inspired by the success of the light and reliable 2.5 L553 F1 car, one important stylistic difference between most four-cylinder Ferraris is that they lacked the hood scoops common on V12 models. The V12 cars used downdraft carburettors located centrally in the valley of the engine, while

1.
Ferrari 750 Monza

2.
Ferrari 860 Monza

France
–
France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territ

1.
One of the Lascaux paintings: a horse – Dordogne, approximately 18,000 BC

2.
Flag

3.
The Maison Carrée was a temple of the Gallo-Roman city of Nemausus (present-day Nîmes) and is one of the best preserved vestiges of the Roman Empire.

4.
With Clovis ' conversion to Catholicism in 498, the Frankish monarchy, elective and secular until then, became hereditary and of divine right.

Maserati
–
Maserati is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna. The companys headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident and it has been owned by the Italian-American car giant Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and FCAs Italian predecessor Fiat S. p. A. since 1993. In May 2014, due to plans and product launche

1.
Maserati S.p.A.

2.
Ettore, Bindo, Ernesto and Alfieri Maserati

3.
Piazza Maggiore 's Neptune and his trident

4.
Juan-Manuel Fangio driving a Maserati 250F.

Maserati 300S
–
The Maserati 300S was a racing car produced by Maserati of Italy between 1955–8, which competed in the FIAs World Sportscar Championship. The compression ratio was reduced from 12,1 to 9.5,1 and it used three Weber carburettors, initially 42DCO3, later 45DCO3. A trellis structure was used instead of the one of the 250F. The brakes were the same as

1.
Maserati 300S

Peter Collins (racing driver)
–
Peter John Collins was a British racing driver. He was killed in the 1958 German Grand Prix, just weeks after winning the RAC British Grand Prix and he started his career as a 17-year-old in 1949, impressing in Formula 3 races, finishing third in the 1951 Autosport National Formula 3 Championship. Born on 6 November 1931, Collins grew up in Mustow

1.
Peter Collins

2.
Tested in October 1957 by Peter Collins at the Modena Autodrome, this car's engine, which was derived from the Dino V6, offered a nicely balance between a 4-cylinder and the 8-cylinder designed by Vittorio Jano. Soon-to-be world champion Mike Hawthorn won the French Grand Prix in the 246 F1 while Peter Collins delivered victory in the British Grand Prix.

Ferrari 500 TR
–
A Ferrari Monza is one of a series of cars built by Ferrari. Inspired by the success of the light and reliable 2.5 L553 F1 car, one important stylistic difference between most four-cylinder Ferraris is that they lacked the hood scoops common on V12 models. The V12 cars used downdraft carburettors located centrally in the valley of the engine, while

1.
Ferrari 750 Monza

2.
Ferrari 860 Monza

Ferrari 250 GT
–
The Ferrari 250 is a sports car built by Ferrari from 1953 to 1964. The companys most successful line, the 250 series included several variants. It was replaced by the 275 and the 330, most 250 road cars share the same two wheelbases,2,400 mm for short wheelbase and 2,600 mm for long wheelbase. Most convertibles used the SWB type, nearly all 250s s

1.
1962 250 GT/E

2.
250 Europa GT

3.
Ferrari 1953 250 MM in the 2012 Mille Miglia tour

4.
1964 250 LM

Scuderia Serenissima
–
Scuderia Serenissima and Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia were names used by Giovanni Volpi to enter his own cars in Formula One and sports car racing in the early 1960s. Scuderia Serenissima was an auto racing team in the early 1960s. Funded by Giovanni Volpi, Serenissima used Ferraris to much success until the founder financed the exiled Ferrari

Belgium
–
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a sovereign state in Western Europe bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and the North Sea. It is a small, densely populated country which covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres and has a population of about 11 million people. Additionally, there is a group of German-speakers w

Aston Martin DP214
–
The Aston Martin DP214 was a prototype sports car developed by Aston Martin for use in grand touring-style racing, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Two DP214s were built in 1963, with one surviving today, just like its predecessor, the DP212, to comply with GT regulations, the DP214 was based on DB4GT chassis, numbers #0194/R and #0195/R. The bod

1.
A DP214 replica

2.
An Aston Martin DP214 replica, 5 BVY

1963 World Sportscar Championship season
–
The 1963 World Sportscar Championship season was the 11th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. The season ran from 17 February 1963 to 14 September 1963 over 22 events and this was the first World Sportscar Championship season to include hillclimb and rally events. Each of the following 22 events counted towards one or more of t

1.
Fiat-Abarth won Division I with the Fiat-Abarth 1000

2.
Porsche won Division III with various 356 models such as this 356 B-Carrera GTL-Abarth

3.
Ferrari won Division III with the GTO

Netherlands
–
The Netherlands is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three territories in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing borders with Belgium, the United K

1.
The Netherlands in 5500 BC

2.
Flag

3.
The Netherlands in 500 BC

4.
An oak figurine found in Willemstad, North Brabant (4500 BC).

Rob Slotemaker
–
Rob Sloot Slotemaker was a Dutch racing driver. He entered one Formula One World Championship race, the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix, with one of Carel Godin de Beauforts Porsches and his entry was taken by Wolfgang Seidel. Throughout the 1960s Slotemaker competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, in 1956, he established his Anti-skid driving school at Zan

1.
Rob Slotemaker in 1968

Ben Pon
–
Bernardus Marinus Ben Pon is a vintner and former Olympian and motor racing driver from the Netherlands. He competed in one Formula One race, the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix and he also represented the Netherlands in clay pigeon shooting at the 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing 31st. Ben Pon was a friend of Formula One driver Carel Godin de Beaufort. It wa

1.
Ben Pon

Porsche 904
–
The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. It was officially called Porsche Carrera GTS due to the naming rights problem that required renaming the Porsche 901 to Porsche 911. After having withdrawn from Formula One at the end of the 1962 season, the 904 debuted late in 1963, for the 1964 racing seas

1.
Porsche 904

2.
Porsche 904-6

3.
Porsche 904/8 during training for 1000-km race at the Nürburgring in 1964.

3.
Now lying within Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of an inhabited 18th century sea fortress built on six islands. It is one of Finland's most popular tourist attractions.